Garden Club


The DCA Garden Club program will consist of lectures and hands-on workshops that will increase our horticultural knowledge, encourage our exploration into floral design and motivate us to be persistent advocates for environmental conservation.
All Garden Club members must be members of the DCA .
Annual dues are $25.00
The guest fee is $10 for speakers, $20 for speakers with luncheon

Responsibility of Membership

  • Be part of the hospitality team for at least one meeting during the year.
  • Participate in the Annual Plant Sale in May by donating time and donating six plants or $20.00
  • Submit to Bench/Horticulture Shows.
  • Donate time toward the maintenance of the grounds and formal garden.
  • Support the DCA Thrift Shop through tax-deductible contributions.

Garden Club Program 2008-2009


Cold Weather Container Gardens
Tuesday, September 9th, 2008

9:30 am coffee and 10:00 am program

Tony Vitti, horticulturist, designer extraordinaire, and manager of Nielsen’s Flower Shop in Darien for 11 years, will demonstrate how to create several different cold-weather outdoor containers, that will take us from September through to Spring, from flowering to evergreen designs. Non-DCA-garden-club-member guest fee: $10.

“Finials and Follies-A Look at Garden Features”
Tuesday, October 14, 2008

9:30 am coffee - 10:00 am Program, followed by Luncheon at 11:15 am
Darrin Duling, of Duling Design (Greenwich, CT), will give a presentation on “Finials and Follies: A Look at Architectural Garden Features”. Darrin was previously the curator of Glass House Collections at the NYBotanical Garden. Please bring an item or two to contribute to our white-elephant tag sale fund-raiser for the Garden Club. Any unsold items will be donated to the DCA Thrift Shop. Non-DCA-garden-club-member guest fee: $20, which includes lunch. Lunch fee for members, $5.

Designing a Better Garden, Secrets of the Pros
Tuesday, November 11, 2008

9:30 am - Coffee and 10:00 am Program

Rita Bond, from Rita Bond Landscape Design, LLC, Simsbury, CT, will speak on Designing a Better Garden, Secrets of the Pros. In addition to her Landscape Design degree from NYBG, Rita studied color theory and shows her paintings in juried art shows, local restaurants and galleries. She was also a featured guest in a series of local cable TV shows on “Improving your Home’s Curb Appeal.” Come and enjoy a great program. Non-DCA-garden-club-member guest fee: $10.

Holiday Greens Workshop
Holiday Wreaths
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
9:30 am workshop

Eve Mauger, of Garden of Eve, Landscape designer and consultant, and a member of our DCA Garden Club, will lead our workshop in which we will create our own holiday wreath, using a grape-vine base. Please bring your own pruners, gloves, and holiday spirit. We will provide the greens and decorative materials. Reservations required. Please RSVP to the DCA office by Friday, December 5th at 655-9050 so that we can purchase the appropriate supplies. Fee for materials $15 for DCA Garden Club members, $20 for guests. Feel free to bring greens from your gardens!

Wonders of the Winter Garden
Tuesday, January 13, 2009

9:30 am - Coffee and 10:00 am Program

Vincent Simeone, author of various gardening articles for newspapers and horticulture magazines has four published gardening books including Great Flowering Landscape Shrubs, The Wonders of the Winter Landscape, Great Flowering Landscape Trees and Great Landscape. Vincent will speak on the Wonders of the Winter Garden. He has worked in the horticultural field for over 20 years. He studied under the well-known professors, Dr. Michael Dirr and Dr. Allan Armitage. Vincent has specialized expertise in woody plant ID, culture, use and selection of superior varieties of trees and shrubs and has appeared on several garden shows including HG TV and Martha Stewart Living. Vincent teaches horticulture classes at New York Botanical Garden. Non-garden-club-member guest fee: $10.

Shrub and Tree Care
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

Coffee 9:30 am - Program 10:00am

Scott Wylie, a Stamford native, of Pickwick Plant Care, has been in the tree care business for over 40 years and will speak on Pruning and Care of Trees and Shrubs. Scott founded Pickwick Plant Care in 1965 in Old Greenwich. He received the Connecticut custom tree work/arborist license in 1971 and holds state licenses in both Connecticut and New York in ornamental and turf insect and disease control. So, bring your questions! Non-DCA-garden-club-member guest fee: $10.

Introduction to Ikebana-Japanese Flower Arranging
Tuesday, March 10, 2009

9:30 am - Coffee and 10:00 am Program

Kathy Draper has been practicing the art of Ikebana for over 30 years and has one of the highest degrees in Ikebana design from the Sogetsu School of Ikebana in Tokyo. Kathy will demonstrate several different arrangements, supplemented by a slide presentation. Ikebana is not merely decorating with flowers, but is considered an Art. The great difference between floral decoration and Ikebana lies in the belief that once all the rules and techniques are mastered, the designer must sculpt, thereby creating living sculptures. Come and enjoy. Non-DCA-garden-club-member guest fee: $10

Seven Bridges Sculpture Gardens
Tuesday, April 14, 2009

10:00 am -Noon Field Trip

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to visit the amazing sculture gardens and art collection in Greenwich. Seven Bridges, which includes beautiful sculpture gardens and a studio art gallery is not open to the public, and the group is limited to 30 people, so please call the DCA and make your reservation early. We will meet in the DCA parking lot at 9:25 AM sharp to carpool to Seven Bridges in Greenwich where we will tour the grounds and Art collection

Annual Plant Sale
Friday, May 8, 2009

8 :30 am - 12:30 pm

The Garden Club will hold its annual plant sale on Friday May 8th, just in time for spring planting. We will offer wonderful perennials grown in the DCA’s own greenhouse by its greenhouse members, as well as perennials donated by members and the community. All members of the garden club are expected to work either the sale or set-up the day before, as well as donate either 6 perennials or $20 to underwrite the purchase of additional plants from a local grower, including annuals, to be sold. Experienced gardeners will be on hand to offer advice and suggestions if needed.

Annual Members Only Garden Tour
Tuesday, June 9, 2009

9:30 am
Reservations Requested

Members of the Garden Club are invited for the fifth annual garden tour. We will gather at the DCA at 9:30 for coffee and to divide into carpools and get maps of the homes on the tour. Don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy some spectacular gardens and works in process!


Garden Club Committee

Co-Chair -Robin Ackerman
Co- Chair - Marianne Wadleigh
Secretary - Sheila Sherwood
Treasurer -Betsy Roberts
Membership - Lori Moody
Hospitality -Julie Bishop
Formal Garden - Eve Mauger
Publicity - Monica Hill

Greenhouse Group



Make Your Calendars!
Garden Club Annual Plant Sale
Friday
May 8, 2009

Darien Community Association, Inc.
274 Middlesex Road
Darien, CT 06820
Telephone: 203-655-9050
Rental Office: 203-655-1054
Fax: 203-655-4009
e-mail :DCA1923@optonline.net